If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 114

Willow was nothing—she had sworn that to herself. But the moment she saw him in front of her, all the learned helplessness and fear swelled up, looming over her.

Even the fugitive slaves who wouldn’t hesitate to kill hadn’t scared her this much. Why was it only her family that made her so weak? Georgiana felt foolish and trembled uncontrollably.

Locke, who had been gently patting her back, pulled away slightly and wiped her tears with his fingertips.

As the warm comfort moved away for a moment, she looked up at him, somewhat wistfully.

Locke gently touched her swollen eyes, then opened his mouth with concern on his face.

“Georgiana, if they saw Raymond’s carriage, then they must already know you’re staying here.”

At his words, she nodded right away. “I think they do. They didn’t seem surprised to see me, so it looked like they had followed the carriage.”

Just thinking about how long they might have been watching her sent shivers down her spine. If there hadn’t been guards, who knows what could’ve happened. Even the thought was horrifying.

As she opened and closed her eyes tightly, Locke made an unexpected suggestion.

“Until we find a solution, how about staying at my estate? If they show up here with the authorities claiming rights over you, there’ll be immediate conflict.”

She had already considered that possibility.

That’s why she couldn’t feel at ease despite Raymond’s reassurances—she didn’t want him to be harmed.

To outsiders, it would look like they were simply exercising a rightful claim. If they resisted, they’d face criticism, and others here would surely be affected too.

Still, she hesitated to accept Locke’s suggestion. She trusted the people here now, but she couldn’t say the same about those elsewhere.

Maybe it would be better to leave alone and hide again.

But what if they found her?

As if reading her mind, Locke continued, “They won’t be able to track me easily, so it’s safe. There aren’t many people at my estate either, so there’s no risk of gossip. If that’s what you’re worried about, rest assured. And this is only until the situation is resolved. You’re free to leave whenever you wish.”

He even stepped back, as if afraid she’d run away if he tried to keep her. It was the opposite of how he had clung to her just hours earlier.

Biting her lip, she gave a small nod. “Thank you, Locke. I won’t forget this kindness.”

“Then how about moving right away? I don’t mind. My treatment is nearly finished anyway.”

Locke stood up, leaning on his crutch.

Seeing him rush despite not having his stitches removed, Georgiana shook her head.

“I need someone to divide the work I was doing and time to wrap things up, so I’ll need to get Raymond’s permission. I can’t just leave.”

Even now, the mansion could run smoothly without her for a day or two, but it wasn’t right to leave for what could be several weeks without a plan.

She also felt sorry for Austin, who was already overworked.

Still, it was clear that leaving would be better than having her family wreck the estate. Her father might hesitate, but Willow certainly wouldn’t let her go.

If only she had someone to take over her duties, she wanted to leave and prepare right away.

“You’ve set things up so efficiently that anyone could manage in your place. Don’t worry—just speak to Raymond. If he saw them, he wouldn’t try to hold you back. I’ll start packing.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Don’t you still need more treatment?”

Georgiana glanced at the bandaged arm, frowning.

“I’m fine. I’ll just have the doctor come to me for the rest.”

“I feel bad, like you can’t even rest properly because of me.”

“Not at all. It’s just… my home really was only for sleeping. It won’t be as nice as here, and there aren’t many people around.”

Scratching his head awkwardly, he looked sheepish.

Georgiana replied casually, “You haven’t forgotten I used to live in Humblum, have you?”

***

Locke left Georgiana’s room and walked down the corridor with a grave expression.

She would be in danger if she stayed here, and while he had partly suggested going to his estate out of selfish desire, the more he thought about it, the more unsure he became.

The last time he had stayed there, the house had been utterly desolate. It certainly hadn’t improved since then.

After the fire that burned down the estate, Locke had inherited his title and wealth but never rebuilt it.

He had enlisted right away, and since Raymond was left behind, he had only looked for a place that would be comfortable for him to live alone.

Even after Raymond married and inherited their grandfather’s plantation, Locke had remained indifferent to the house—until Angela was born. It was only for her sake that he bought a southern mansion.

So it wasn’t very large, and the number of servants was nowhere near comparable to Raymond’s estate.

Still, it had been enough—until now.

Now that Georgiana would be visiting, he suddenly felt it was far too shabby.

She had said it was fine, but what if she was disappointed?

Would it be better to take her to a secure luxury inn instead?

There had been many new ones opening in the Northwest lately.

Maybe that would be more comfortable…

But even so, his own estate was safer. He shook his head.

As he left her room, crutch awkwardly tucked under one arm, Locke made his way quickly to Henry’s room.

If it was his aide, he’d surely come up with a solution.

He always did.

Having fainted earlier from helping at the plantation to avoid Locke’s clinginess, Henry jumped out of bed at the unexpected visit.

“What’s wrong?”

“Georgiana’s family showed up. Willow, that bastard, and her father.”

“What? How do they even know she’s here?”

At the mention of Georgiana’s family, Henry fully snapped awake.

“I don’t know, but they definitely know about this place.”

“Then you need to get her out of here immediately. What if they show up and try to take her? Or… there’s another option. Why don’t you propose? You like her anyway.”

“That’s not an option.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it.

Marrying her would immediately solve the problem—it was the only way she could escape her parents’ legal control.

But after she had already suffered through one contract marriage, he didn’t want to bring it up again. He worried it might come across as pity or manipulation.

He didn’t want to hurt her anymore.

Of course, he would keep that as a last resort, but for now, he wanted to express his feelings properly and propose only if it was truly what she wanted.

“Should we quietly dispose of them, without a trace?”

“That wouldn’t be bad.”

As long as it turned out they weren’t really her family, Locke had every intention of making sure they never set foot on the new continent again.

A response from Supreme Commander Rossmann was urgently needed.

“We’ll wait until we hear back. Then we can think about that.”

“Then where will you take her in the meantime?”

“For now, my estate. It’s safe there.”

“Did she agree to that?”

Henry looked at him skeptically. Lately, the way he looked at Locke had become increasingly doubtful, but this was unexpected.

“Of course. Do you think I’d take her without asking?”

“You’re definitely capable of it…”

“Henry.”

At Locke’s low voice, Henry quickly straightened up. Then, sensing the mood, he began packing.

“Then I’ll head over first and check the house. I’ll also recruit a few discreet people. I’m sure we’ll need a ton of things, but if I hurry, it’ll get done.”

“Thank you. I feel bad for pushing you so soon after returning from the Northwest, but you’re the only one I can trust.”

Henry’s eyes widened at the apology.

“What’s gotten into you? Just act like your usual self.”

“Should I?”

“N-no!”

At Locke’s ominous murmur, Henry frantically waved his hands.

Locke chuckled, then gave a few instructions and returned to his room.